The Top of the Food Chain
by SM0KEYJ0E
Summary: Random team story with no real plot.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: Characters not mine... blah, blah... just playing writer for a bit. Not really sure where this idea came from; I was just having some fun with dialogue and the characters. There's no real plot, per se... maybe I'll stumble upon one at some point. There's no real direction either... but rest assured, even though it starts out a little dark, the story is meant to be fun and light. I'll get to that in short order. In the mean time, enjoy a bit of false drama!

* * *

Having just returned to earth after a long but uneventful meet and greet to P51-6X3, Daniel decided it was time to go shopping if he wanted to eat at all in the next few days. It was late afternoon by the time SG1 had returned, gotten thoroughly checked over by Janet and debriefed with General Hammond, and by now it was into the early evening. He'd considered just going home and working with whatever might still be in his refrigerator, but a stick of butter and a bottle of ketchup didn't sound very appetizing, so he'd headed to the supermarket. Shifting the paper bags he held so as to better access his car door, Daniel dug in his pockets for his keys. Not finding them, he finally gave up his balancing act and set his groceries on the ground while he renewed his search. 

"No!" Daniel turned toward the sound of a panicked voice somewhere nearby. "Leave me alone!"

Locating a young woman who seemed to be struggling with another man, Daniel abandoned his car and quickly made his way toward them. "Hey!" he raised his voice. "Are you okay?"

The woman screamed as the strange man made a grab for her, pulling her toward the far end of the parking lot.

"Hey!" Daniel shouted, running toward them.

Somewhere in his subconscious, Daniel recognized that the man had turned his attention away from the woman and had pulled a gun and was pointing it wildly in Daniel's direction. Reflexively, Daniel dove toward the nearest car as a shot rang out.

Peeking out from his cover, Daniel quickly ran forward as he saw the attacker running away, further down the lot.

"Hey," he turned his attention to the young woman. "Are you okay?"

Before he could do anything else, the woman flung herself into his arms.

"Thank you so much!" she burst out, voice a little muffled in Daniel's shirt. "I have no idea who that man was! I'm so scared I'm still shaking!" she pulled away and held her hand out flat, demonstrating that she was, indeed, shaking.

As she drew away, Daniel noticed spots of red on her clothing. "Are you hurt? You're bleeding."

"No." she responded quickly, looking down at the splotches on her shirt and patting her hands over herself. "It's not me."

The woman looked up, and her eyes fell to Daniel's abdomen. He followed her gaze and noticed a growing red splotch of his own.

"Oh, god." He heard her whisper, just as things began to get a little fuzzy. "911!" her voice rang out as Daniel felt himself falling. "Somebody call 911!"

--------------

Daniel opened his eyes and blinked furiously as he passed under row after row of fluorescent lights.

"Sir, can you tell me your name?" a voice came above him and slightly to his left; he turned his head and allowed his eyes to focus now on a woman in a white coat and blue scrubs who was gripping the metal rail of the gurney Daniel realized he was on.

"Sir?" the woman asked again. "Can you hear me?"

"Daniel Jackson."

She smiled. "Daniel, I'm Dr. Burlington. You're looking pretty good. Any numbness?"

"Nope." Daniel replied easily now that he'd gotten his bearings. "Just pain. Lots of pain."

"Okay, well, believe it or not, that's a very good sign." The gurney had now stopped, and Dr. Burlington was putting on a gown and latex gloves. "We're going to get you up to surgery now Mr. Jackson. Before we put you under, do you have any family you'd like us to contact?"

"Jack O'Neill."

* * *

I 'heart' reviews. ;) 


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes: ... writing 'notes' here because it seemed appropriate, but really I have nothing of any consequence to say... except to thank you all for reading, and thanks even more to those of you who took the time to review. :)

* * *

Walking quickly, Jack moved up to the nearest admin. desk he could find. "Excuse me." He leaned over and spoke to the woman sitting there. "I got a call about Daniel Jackson." 

"Alright Sir." She answered. "If you could just give me a moment, I'll find out what he's here for and where he is." She began looking through a large spiral-bound book, but before she could give any answers, a man who looked way too young to be a doctor approached.

"You're here for Daniel Jackson?" he asked. "You're Jack O'Neill?"

"Yes."

"I'm Dr. Langer. I was here when Daniel came in. Are you his father?" Off of Jack's look, he quickly amended, "Brother. Are you his brother?"

"No." Jack replied a little tersely. "I'm a friend."

"I'm sorry" Dr. Langer quickly said. "We asked Mr. Jackson if there was any family we could contact. He named you, so I assumed…"

"Where is he?" Jack asked impatiently.

"Oh!" Langer exclaimed, as if just remembering the reason he was talking to Jack. "He's in with a police officer now."

"A police officer? What happened?"

Dr. Langer crossed his arms in a jovial manner. "As far as I can tell, Mr. Jackson is a bit of a hero."

"Oh, for crying out –" Jack ran a hand through his hair. "What did he do?"

Brow furrowed in confusion with such a response, Dr. Langer paused a moment. "Well… Daniel was shot during –"

Jack sighed. "Of course he was."

"Yes…" Langer was clearly uncomfortable and confused. "Uh, he saved a young woman –"

"Of course he did." Jack interrupted again.

"From a… a mugging, I believe." The doctor finished, then redirected."Mr. O'Neill, can I ask, does Daniel have any family we can contact?"

"Family? Not exactly."

"And how is it that you know him?" Langer sounded a little suspicious.

"I'm a friend."

Well, as his friend, I should tell you that we're a bit concerned about his lack of medical records. He's not in the system at all, and from… well, in our physical examination, there were a number of odd scars and –"

Jack bounced on the balls of his feet. "Yes. Well, Mr. Jackson, _Dr_. Jackson, actually, is an archaeologist. He's spent most of his life... out of this country."

Dr. Langer's mouth rounded in an 'o' and he gave an exaggerated nod. "And that would account for the lack of medical records."

Jack shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded, pleased with his excuse. "You know how some of those other countries can be about that kind of thing."

"Sure." Langer was now convinced. "I have to tell you though, we're still concerned that there seem to be a number of abnormalities – we'd like to keep mister, uh, _Dr._ Jackson here to run a few more tests, but he won't consent. I was hoping you might be willing to talk to him… convince him to stay."

"Look, doc, I appreciate your concern." Jack began leading the young man down the hallway, "I'm sure Daniel does too, but how about you just take me to see him?"

"Um…. Right." Langer replied, trailing behind. "If you'll follow me."

"So… Dr. Langer." Queried Jack, still leading. "Intern?"

"Yes, actually."

"Never would've guessed."

* * *

I always wondered what would happen in SG1 ended up being treated by any non-SGC healthcare worker. They all _have_ to have some wonky alien stufffloating aroundin them, right? It kind of tickled me to have a situation where someone would start asking questions. 

Reviews are my bread and butter, people. Please... feed the beast. ;)


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes: Sorry this took a couple days; it's been ready for a little while, but I had trouble uploading. Hopefully a few of you will still be with me. ;)

* * *

Daniel crossed his arms self-consciously over his chest and sunk down a little lower in his hospital bed. Since he'd woken up from his surgery, there'd been a constant stream of people in and out of the room. Thanks to many years of working with Jack O'Neill, Daniel found that he was generally an extraordinarily patient man, but this was becoming wearying… even for him. First there were the doctors, including one seemingly over-eager intern, updating him on his condition: Daniel hadn't really retained anything of what they'dtold him, especially being still groggy from the anesthesia. Next came the young woman: Natalie, as Daniel learned. She'd been overwhelmingly grateful, and once again threw herself at Daniel, which ended up being a rather pain-inducing way of expressing her thanks. Natalie was followed with the police officers, who had needed a statement. Daniel had recounted, several times, what had happened to the best of his ability, also not made easier due to the anesthesia and the re-invigorated pain coming from his abdomen. And lastly, at the moment, there were two giggling nurses who were eyeing him while gathering supplies for changing Daniel's bandages: it seemed word had quickly spread around the hospital that Daniel was some sort of knight-in-shining-armour, risking life and limb for fair maidens across the land, or at least in supermarket parking lots. 

Daniel sighed: there were some days when it just didn't pay to get out of bed. Hindsight being 20/20, he silently cursed himself and his practicality over being unwilling to eat ketchup and butter… maybe he just wouldn't eat ever again, he thought bitterly… especially as he wasn't sure what had even happened to the bags of groceries he had just bought.

Daniel sunk even lower as the door opened and two more people stepped in the room.

"Hey Jack." He mumbled.

"Daniel."

The young man Daniel remembered as Dr. Langer approached his bed. "How are you feeling, Dr. Jackson?"

"Fine." Daniel answered quickly. "Can I leave now?"

"No Daniel, you can't leave now." Jack jumped in before Langer could answer. "This is what happens when you get _shot. _People have to operate on you and then you have to stay in the hospital while everyone panders. Meanwhile,_I_ get dragged out of a perfectly comfortable bed-"

Daniel rubbed a hand over his face. "Look, Jack, it's late, I've got a hole in my abdomen and am on some pretty serious pain medication."he leaned his head heavily in his hand. "Is there any possible way we can have this discussion later?"

"I'm gonna kick your ass later." Jack replied. "You know _that_, right?"

Daniel sighed. "I do know that." He looked to Langer, who seemed quite horrified at the whole exchange. "Can I sign myself out or something, doctor?"

The poor intern seemed flummoxed. "I… I, um… I guess you could – I mean, there's… you could, against medical advice…" he stammered on and was thankfully interrupted by the entrance of Dr. Burlington.

"Daniel!" she greeted easily. "I see you have plenty of visitors." She went to the foot of his bed and flipped through his chart. "I just came in to tell you that we received a call from a Dr. Janet Fraiser, and we're currently authorizing a transfer. It shouldn't be any more than a few hours, but we'll make sure you're comfortable here for a bit and then get you on your way." Dr. Burlington looked to Daniel. "Do you have any questions?"

"No." Daniel smiled tightly. "No, thank you."

"Alright. Dr. Langly and I will leave you to visit," she gestured toward Jack. "If you need anything, please don't hesitate to let us know."

"Thank you, doctor." Jack said. After they left, he turned back to Daniel, who now seemed to be trying to disappear under his blanket. "So, Daniel… do anything fun tonight?"


	4. Chapter 4

Daniel looked up from his notebook as Sam came up to his bed.

"Hey." She held out a mug.

"Hey." He replied hopefully. "Is that coffee?"

Sam smiled and shook her head. "Tea." She returned. "Janet would kill me if I brought you coffee right now."

Daniel frowned and pushed his glasses further up his nose. "She'd never have to know." He whispered.

Sam shook her head again as she perched on the edge of the infirmary bed. "Sorry, Daniel. I value my life too much to try to smuggle anything past Janet and in her infirmary, no less." She watched as Daniel took a sip and grimaced. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." Daniel pushed the cup to the far corner of his make-shift desk. "Janet's just keeping me here for observation. Wants to make sure an infection doesn't set in. Thankfully, she's not withheld work this time." He gestured to the books and papers spread out before him. "I'm trying to get caught up before she clears me for active duty."

Sam smiled. "I tried that."

"Getting caught up?"

"Yeah."

"Tried?" he frowned.

"I gave up."

"That bodes well for me."

Sam picked up a book and flipped through it distractedly. "Come on, Daniel. When's the last time you were caught up?"

The archaeologist made a show of looking at his watch. "… 1996, I think."

Sam smiled broadly. "Well, this may cheer you up: I ran into Janet before I came in here. She's releasing you. She said a nurse would be by in a little bit to give you a quick check up, and then you're done."

Daniel's eyebrows rose. "You're kidding. Already?"

"I wouldn't say that too loudly –"

"Yes… best not test the good fortune."

Sam stood. "I'd be happy to give you a ride home."

"That'd be great." Daniel said, then leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Would you mind stopping by my office and grabbing –"

Sam leaned in herself, also whispering. "Already done."

Daniel smiled, satisfied. "See? This is teamwork."

"It really is."

- - - - - - - - -

The next morning found Daniel poring over various texts in his apartment. Sam had dropped him off supplied with books, artifacts, journals and enough work to last for weeks; a quick jump to the coffee shop down the street had provided him with everything he needed to be happy until cleared for active duty. As it was, however, he found himself being interrupted by a persistent knocking. It finally occurred to Daniel that someone was at the door.

"Jack." He greeted upon answering. "What are you doing here?"

"Good morning, Daniel." Jack smiled cheerfully. "You look like crap."

"Thank you." Daniel's brow furrowed. "What are you doing here?" he repeated.

"Have you been up all night?"

Catching sight of a small paper bag, he ignored Jack's query. "Is that for me?"

"Answer the question." The colonel peered into the apartment. "Nevermind. I see the laptop, I smell the coffee and sense the Fifth Avenues are somewhere nearby."

Daniel crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm working, Jack."

Jack held up a finger. "You're supposed to be recovering."

"I am recovering." Daniel defended.

Jack peered in again, looking about a bit more. "Is Carter here?"

Sam's head popped out from the kitchen as she leaned over the breakfast bar. "Hi, Sir."

He looked back to Daniel. "You two really need to get lives, you know that?"

"To our credit, we do know that, but we are perfectly happy the way we are." Daniel replied. "So… is that for me?" he gestured toward the bag.

"Yes." Jack offered the breakfast pastry he had brought with him.

"You can have the coffee." Daniel said as he went back toward his work. "I don't want decaf."

Jack looked incredulously at the paper cup he held in his hand. "How'd you know it was decaf?"

"I can smell it."

"There's something kinda freakish about you, you know that?"

"Yeah." Daniel looked back to his friend still standing in the doorway. "Come on in."

"Actually, I'm not staying." Jack stuffed his hands into his pockets. "The real reason I'm here is to tell you to get packed."

"Mission?" Sam asked eagerly from the kitchen.

"Yes!" Jack nodded. "…If by _mission _you mean _fishing_ in Minnesota."

"Jack –" Daniel began.

"Ah!" Jack held up a hand to stop the protest. "Fraiser has banned you from the base for at least three non-weekend days. Plenty of time to relax and continue to recooperate."

Daniel turned imploringly. "Sam, help me out here."

"Sorry, Daniel." She smiled as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "Catch a fish for me."

"Oh, not to worry, Major!" Jack bounced on the balls of his feet. "You're coming too! And I wouldn't leave Teal'c out of the fun."

"Sir –" It was her turn to protest.

"No complaints, Major." Jack smiled. "Be packed and ready to go tomorrow morning at 0700."

* * *

Reviews are my friend. ;) 


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Notes: So... this story has no plot, but if anyone has anything they'd like to see, I'm open for suggestions. If I think it's realistic (-ish) and can actually handle writing something with a plot, I'd be happy to oblige. Otherwise, you're stuck with the randomness, which I realize can be boring. Sorry. Such is my 'talent'.

* * *

Jack surveyed his cabin appraisingly, arms outspread as though to hug it if he could. He turned to the rest of his team, a giant, goofy smile plastered over his face. He rapidly lost the smile as he surveyed the other members of SG-1, standing side by side. Daniel had his arms crossed tightly over his chest, brow furrowed while he frowned. Carter was doing her best to be cheerful, but still seemed as though she were awaiting orders, standing straight, hands clasped in front of her. Teal'c had a large duffle bag in each hand and also wore a frown the likes of which Jack had not seen in some time. Teal'c, of course, had been to this cabin once before, and apparently wasn't eager to return… a sentiment Jack couldn't understand at all. He tried another go at enthusiasm. 

"Alright, kids!" He clapped his hands together. "Get your gear and grab a bunk! This is gonna be great!"

Teal'c, hands already full, began heading toward the cabin while Carter grabbed a bag of her own from the bed of the truck. Jack grabbed a bag and handed it to Daniel before snatching up the fishing poles and cooler and following her inside.

- - - - -

Once in the cabin, Daniel had what Jack could only describe as a pout… a ridiculous expression for a grown man with numerous PhD's. "I can't believe you made us come." The archaeologist plopped his duffle down on the floor next to a bed. "I could be at home sleeping right now… or better yet, at the SGC catching up on work."

"Just wait, Daniel." Jack began unpacking various foodstuffs from one of the bags Teal'c had carried. He gestured with a tin of diced tomatoes. "You'll see. This is exactly what you need."

"Canned vegetables?" Daniel questioned innocently while Jack considered throwing the can at him.

"Sir, I'm afraid I have to side with Daniel on this one." Carter derailed Jack's train of thought. "SG-11 brought back some interesting technology from P75-833 that I really would've-"

He turned toward her. "Carter." He said sternly. "Not helping."

"I, too, fail to understand how this will aid in Daniel Jackson's recovery." Teal'c intoned.

"Et tu, Teal'c?" Jack narrowed his eyes at the Jaffa.

"Jack – " Daniel began again.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Jack waved his arms a little wildly. "We're here! We're going to fish, we're going to drink beer, we're going to have fun!" he pointed a finger at Daniel. "I'll make it an order!" he threatened.

"Make 'fun' an order?" Daniel raised his eyebrows. "That doesn't send up any warning flags for you?"

"That's it." Jack pointed again. "No beer for you."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Janet said I'm not to have any alcohol anyway."

"Are you trying to make me kill you?" Jack's eyes narrowed again as he considered reaching for the tomatoes he'd set down.

"Would that get me out of fishing?" Daniel quipped.

Recognizing the murderous look in the Colonel's eyes, Carter quickly crossed into the kitchen, where she moved several cans out of reach. "Why don't I put the food away, Sir?"

"Perhaps it wouldbe best ifDaniel Jackson and Iwere toassemble lawn furniture outside." Teal'c added, cocking his head slightly with the suggestion that Daniel should proceed.

While the other two left, Jack turned to his second-in-command. "This is gonna be great." He muttered.

"Oh, I'm having fun already, Sir."

* * *

Reviews rock my face off. Seriously: rock my face right off.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes: Thanks for plot suggestions...** nyxlily**, you'll have to be patient for another chapter, but hopefully it will be worth it for you. **DarkJediQueen**, sorry, but this chapter is probably the closest I'm going to get to Jack actually blowing up at anyone.

* * *

Daniel's brow wrinkled as he warily pulled his fishing pole behind him, preparing to cast. "Jack, am I doing this right?" 

His own line released, Jack waited for the enjoyable plop of the bobber hitting the water before turning to his friend. "Have you never fished before?"

Daniel remained frozen in his stance. "I'm an Egyptologist." He stated plainly.

"So?" Jack made a face.

"So, fishing wasn't really a survival skill I picked up in the desert."

"Fishing isn't a _survival _skill, Daniel –"

"Technically, Sir…" Sam interrupted.

"Alright!" Jack threw an irritated glance at his second-in-command. "It's a survival skill, but more importantly, it's _fun._ It's relaxing, which is _exactly _what you need right now." He looked around at his team. "All of you." He added, then jabbed a finger toward Daniel. "But you most of all."

Struggling with the fishing pole again, Daniel looked up from it, hopeful. "If I promise to have fun and relax, can I go back inside?"

Jack's eyes narrowed.

"Alright." Daniel sighed. "Well, at the very least I _am_ going inside to get something to drink." Putting down his pole with its now horribly tangled fishing line, he headed back toward the cabin.

After several quiet minutes of fishing, Jack looked around. "What's keeping Daniel? How long does it take to get a glass of water?"

"Perhaps I could check on him, O'Neill." Teal'c quickly said.

"Or I could go, Sir. You know… just to make sure he's alright." Carter added.

"Nice try." Jack smiled and set down his gear. "Both of you can stay. I'll go get him."

"Really, Sir!" Sam called after him. "Maybe I should be the one…" she trailed off, and then turned to Teal'c. "Oh, this could get ugly."

"Daniel!" Jack called into the cabin as he neared the threshold. "You okay?" he startled the younger man and saw him fumble with something,quickly throwing it into a bag on the floor. "What was that?"Jack questioned suspiciously.

Daniel turned quickly and attempted to look unassuming. "Oh, hey Jack."

"What are you doing?"

"Just, you know… just getting a drink."

"Interesting." Jack walked toward Daniel, slowly. "The kitchen's that way. Kinda hard to miss since there's really only one room."

"Yeah…" Daniel nodded and looked down to the floor, where the bag still sat. "I was just looking for… bug spray."

"Yes!" Jack clapped his hands loudly, making note of how jumpy his friend was… something was definitely up. "Bugs! Gotta watch out for those giant, teradactyl skeeters up here: they'll take your head right off!" He paused while Daniel looked uneasy. "Of course, that's _Carter's_ bag there…" Jack pointed out.

"Oh. Right. My mistake." Daniel chuckled nervously. "Probably why I couldn't find my bug spray, then."

"Well, why don't I help…" Jack knelt down to examine the duffle.

"Jack, you probably shouldn't go through… you know, a woman's bag is a sacred thing and –"

"Aha!" his hand emerged. "You brought a book! You brought _work_!"

"Jack –"

"Sir." Carter's voice joined in from the doorway, where she and Teal'c now stood. "Daniel! Thought I'd just check and see –"

Jack pointed the book accusingly toward her. "And you! It was in your bag! You aided and abetted! Explain yourself, Major!"

"Jack –" Daniel tried to jump back in.

"Ah!" the colonel held up a hand, blocking his interruption. "_Carter_?"

She at least had the decency to look properly ashamed. "Couldn't fit it all into one bag without looking suspicious, Sir."

"And you, Teal'c? Tell me you don't have some wonky alien gizmo in _your_ bag for Carter to play with"

The jaffa met his glare calmly. "I knew nothing of this plan, O'Neill."

"See!" Jack waved the book he still held in the air. "_Teal'c_ knows how to have a good time. Just for that, he gets to stay and fish. You two... get to go find firewood." He stalked out of the cabin, book still in hand. "You'll get this back at the end of the trip." He called out behind him. "Come on, T!"

Teal'c waited just another moment for the colonel to be out of hearing range. "Major Carter, Daniel Jackson," he whispered conspiratorially, "if there should ever be another instance such as this –"

"Yo! T!" Jack could be heard shouting again.

"- I gladly and willingly offer my assistance."


	7. Chapter 7

"You know," Daniel began as Sam piled another piece of wood into his arms, "I'm not sure hiking through miles of forest and carrying logs was what Janet had in mind when she said to go home and rest."

"Probably not," Sam confirmed as they continued walking. "But you can always look on the bright side," she smiled as she picked up a log of her own, "at least you're not fishing."

"Fair point." Daniel replied. He glanced down at the pile in his arms, becoming more aware of the soreness in his abdomen. "You know, how much do you think we should take back? I mean, you don't think Jack was really serious about –"

Daniel was cut off when the unmistakable sound of gunfire rang out. Both Sam and Daniel dropped their bundles and ducked behind nearby trees. The forest became eerily quiet.

"Daniel!" Sam whispered loudly, "You okay?"

He nodded in response. "You?"

"Yeah."

"Who's shooting at us!" Daniel asked.

"I don't know." Sam answered breathlessly, looking around. "Go down toward the ridge… maybe it'll draw them that way. I'll double back around; try to get them from behind."

Daniel nodded and Sam watched for a moment before heading in the opposite direction. She didn't have to go terribly far before she saw movement and the glint of metal as the shooter came round for another shot, presumably at Daniel's retreating form. Springing from her hidden position, Sam took the attacker by surprise, knocking the rifle from his hands and causing the shot to go wide. A quick sweep of her leg easily brought him down.

"Who are you?" she shouted as she pinned him, arms behind his back, face first into the forest floor.

"Jason Fuller!" he cried out, voice muffled, "Jason Fuller!"

"Sam!" Having heard the shouting, Daniel was running back. "You got 'em?" he paused, panting. "That's… that's him?" he asked incredulously after seeing the single, slight form.

"Why were you shooting at us?" Sam asked angrily, pushing him down a little more forcefully.

"That was you? Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Jason answered. "I thought you were a deer!"

Sam looked up at Daniel, who stared back, brows raised.

"Well, that's a new one." He said, shrugging.

Sam looked back to Daniel. "You okay?"

He nodded, patting his chest and abdomen in a quick check. "Yeah… no bullet wounds." He replied. "Well, no new ones…"

"We'll call that progress." Sam encouraged.

After a brief pause, the muffled voice returned. "Can I um… can I get up now, please?"

"Yeah." Sam released her hold and stood, brushing herself off. "Sorry."

Jason, in his early twenties at best, looked absolutely terrified as he clambered back up to his feet, taking a few steps back from Sam, nearly tripping over himself. Sam looked downright pleased at his intimidation.

"Look, I'm really sorry." He repeated, glancing nervously from Sam to Daniel and then back to Sam again. "I was out here hunting… I thought you were a deer. Honest."

"Shouldn't you have some kind of orange vest or something?" Daniel asked.

"Shouldn't you?" Jason returned, a little defensively.

Daniel frowned and looked to Sam, who just shrugged.

"Can I…" Jason looked nervously back to Sam. "Can I go now?"

Sam coolly nodded her head once, trying to keep a smug smile from covering her face as the kid stumbled in his haste.

"Jason." He turned quickly and nearly fell as she called him back. "Don't forget your weapon." She picked it up and held it out to him.

Jason looked a little afraid to receive it, lest Sam take him down again. After a little more hesitation, he reluctantly took the rifle and backed away.

"Careful!" Sam warned as he took off into the woods.

Daniel shuffled up to her as both watched Jason speed off. "Good job tackling the poor kid."

Sam turned and glared defensively. "He was shooting at us!"

Daniel also turned. "Yeah, but did you have to go all special ops on him?"

"Saved your ass." She mumbled as she began to walk.

Daniel followed, giving her a small nudge. "Thanks for that, by the way."

Sam smiled to her side, where he was. "You're welcome."

After a few moments of silence, Daniel stopped walking and looked around him. "So… question: where are we?"

Sam also stopped and took in their surroundings as well. "I don't know."

Daniel stared at her incredulously. "You don't know?"

Sam stared back. "Why am I supposed to know?"

"You're the air force officer!" Daniel answered. "I'm just the… wayward, civilian archaeologist."

Sam seemed to think on that fact a moment. "Okay, well, the sun's setting that way." She gestured, "The colonel's cabin is to the west, so we'll head in that direction. At some point we'll find the stream that feeds into the pond, and then we'll be able to follow it North until we hit the cabin."

Daniel nodded. "Sounds good."


	8. Chapter 8

Sam hugged her coat closer to her body and slouched a bit further down the fallen log she was leaning against. She and Daniel had reluctantly stopped their hike back to Colonel O'Neill's cabin a few hours earlier, as it became too dark to navigate the unknown forest efficiently.

"Daniel?" Sam directed her question to her right side, a foot or so away, where she knew Daniel sat, even if she couldn't see him.

"Hmm?"

"You're awfully quiet." She noted. "Whatcha thinkin' about?"

Daniel sighed. "My nice warm bed roll back in the cabin." He chuckled softly. "It's a little ironic, isn't it?"

"What?"

"A couple hours ago, I would've done just about anything to get away from that cabin… now it's lookin' pretty good to me."

Sam smiled. "I hear that."

"I wasn't made for the cold." Daniel mumbled. "I belong in the desert." Sam could hear him shuffling a bit; she assumed he was also trying to wrap his coat tighter about himself.

"You could always move closer; we could share body heat."

There was a long pause.

"That wouldn't be…" Daniel's voice dropped off.

"Weird?" Sam supplied. "Awkward? A little incestuous?"

"All of the above?" he jumped back in.

"Yeah."

"So…?"

Sam shrugged, not that he could see the gesture. "Just thought I'd offer."

"Thank you for that… but no." Daniel replied.

There was another long silence.

"Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Remind me to thank Jack for a wonderful time."

- - - - -

The next afternoon, Sam and Daniel, having finally gotten unlost, stood at the threshold of Jack's cabin. Hungry, dirty, and tired, they remained at the doorway, staring at the colonel and Teal'c, who were sat at the small dining table, currently in the midst of what appeared to be an arm wrestle.

"1…2…3… go!' Jack counted off. He immediately began pulling with all his strength.

Teal'c, for the most part looked vaguely amused. With one eyebrow raised, he waited a moment and then quickly forced O'Neill's hand down to the table's surface.

"I believe I have now won 3 out of 3 matches, O'Neill." Teal'c smiled politely.

"I'm getting warmed up!" Jack defended. "One more try! Best out of five!"

Instead, Teal'c turned to the other two members of SG-1, still standing at the doorway. "Major Carter, Daniel Jackson, I am relieved that you have returned safely."

"Thank you, Teal'c." Daniel replied. "I'm glad you didn't worry too much… or, you know… come look for us."

Jack merely shrugged. "Carter was with you."

Daniel looked to Sam, who also smiled, albeit sheepishly, and shrugged.

"I just can't win." Daniel sighed.

Sam squeezed his arm reassuringly. "I'm gonna go get cleaned up. Why don't you get something to eat?" she suggested.

Daniel wearily went to the kitchen and began rummaging through the supply of food they'd brought with them.

Jack, having failed at convincing Teal'c to compete in another arm wrestle, turned to face Daniel.

"So… where's the firewood?"

* * *

Sorry this chapter was kinda lame... I think I've grown a bit bored with this story. Probably because it has no plot. Go figure. Anyway, I think I'll wrap things up with the next chapter, so hang in there just a little longer!


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Notes: So this is it for this story! I hope it was at least marginally fun for you; I kinda lost steam at the end (not that it had much steam to begin with), but I enjoyed some random team conversation, which is always a good time... at least in my little reality. This last chapter is super short, but hopefully it wraps things up.

* * *

"What are you doing up?"

Daniel turned in his chair to find Jack shuffling toward him in a T-shirt and pajama bottoms.

"Couldn't sleep." He replied. "You?"

Jack thoroughly mussed his hair. "Thought I heard someone moving around."

Daniel's eyes dropped to his coffee mug atop the rough table he and Jack were sitting at and merely nodded until realization hit him. "Oh. Sorry."

Jack yawned and waved a hand. "No problem." He replied easily.

They sat for a few moments in silence.

"I thought Frasier said you weren't supposed to have coffee for awhile." Jack spoke first.

Daniel took a rebellious sip. "Janet's not here, is she?"

Jack stared and considered that a moment. "Decaf?" he questioned.

"Yeah." Daniel answered, resigned, making a face as he took another drink.

Jack nodded and began playing with the salt and pepper shakers that sat on the middle of the table. Daniel silently watched while his friend made little mounds of salt and tried to balance the glass holders on top.

"Thanks, Jack."

Head down and close to the tabletop to more accurately balance the shakers, Jack looked up with a puzzled expression.

"Thanks for teaching me how to fish." Daniel supplied. "That, uh… that lesson about bait… and lures, especially –" he trailed off.

Jack continued with the salt mounds. "Just trying to teach you how to stay on top of the food chain, Danny."

Daniel frowned. "Yeah. I'm sure it'll be very useful if I ever go somewhere with you know, water… that actually has fish in it and am equipped with rod and tackle box."

Jack paused again in his task and looked to Daniel thoughtfully. "You know, come to think of it, I don't think I've ever caught a fish in this pond."

Daniel's eyebrows went up. "And how long have you been coming here?"

"Since I was a kid." Jack swept the salt off the table and onto the floor and leaned back comfortably in his chair. "Cabin's been in my family for years."

Daniel closed his eyes and dropped his head. Somewhat wearily, he rubbed his forehead and stood. "Well… night, Jack."

"Daniel?" Jack's voiced stopped him.

"Yeah?"

"Next on the list is teaching you how to duck when someone's shooting at you."

* * *

Thanks for reading!


End file.
